School Libraries

Please tell the Obama Administration that librarians are important to us and that one should be present in every school.

Certified school librarians are trained to guide students through different forms of information, teach them how to navigate various technologies and, of course, help them to discover great literature and to foster a love of reading.

Studies have shown (e.g. Pennsylvania School Library Project) that students in schools with a full-time librarian have better outcomes than students in schools with no librarian. Although links may not be posted here, more research can be found with a simple google search.

Unfortuanately, many schools are eliminating librarians as a cost saving measure because their positions are not mandated by the state or federal government.

The indefatigable team at The Star Beacon reports that the embattled Ashtabula Area City School District is cutting library staff and more to keep the district financially solvent as the school year continues and an emergency operating levy request goes on the May Primary ballot for district voters to decide. The pseudonymous comments bear reading as to examples of hurdles any public agency faces in seeking funding to offset rising costs and declining budgets.

Like many of his third-grade classmates, Mario Cortez-Pacheco likes reading the “Magic Tree House” series, about a brother and a sister who take adventurous trips back in time. He also loves the popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” graphic novels.

But Mario, 8, has noticed something about these and many of the other books he encounters in his classroom at Bayard Taylor Elementary here: most of the main characters are white. “I see a lot of people that don’t have a lot of color,” he said.

Neighborhoods with high poverty rates have lower test scores. Education is affected by lack of access to resources. Libraries and their staff (both in schools and out of schools) are part of those resources that can help bridge the achievement gap between rich and poor students. Working-class children hear 10 million words before they enter kindergarten compared to the 30 million that kids with professional parents hear. That initial vocabulary gap is predictive of reading comprehension in high school (Beth Fertig "Why Can't U Teach Me 2 Read?"). The gap is developed in part by lack of access to literary materials, which libraries provide free of charge, and probably continues because of the perpetual inaccessibility of libraries to the inner-city. I'm sure Schaumburg has great test scores that are in part due to its great main library and school libraries. Let's make it a city goal to have good libraries, and our students (and their test scores) will benefit from the plentiful access to educational resources.

With the recent stories about disasters, legal wrangling, and futurism, let's look at a hands down, slam dunk, win-win idea for libraries: dogs! Many school and public libraries use therapy dogs in their reading programs, calming children to widespread acclaim. Academic libraries also make use of therapy dogs, calming homesickstudentsduringfinalsweek. These projects involve minimal costs and have a profound impact. Don't let a lawyer or administrator use absurd logic to deny you this wonderful opportunity to have patrons perceive the library as a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. And remember: refusing to allow a service animal in to a building is also a violation of federal law. What are your dogs in libraries stories?

From November 11-29 Librarians Without Borders' hosts their Guatemalan partner, Jorge Chojolán, on a speaking tour in five North American cities: Toronto, London (Ontario), Ottawa, Montreal, and Los Angeles.

Jorge is the founder and director of the Asturias Academy, a progressive K-12 school that offers education for students from low-income and indigenous families. The speaking events will focus on education reform, leadership, libraries, literacy, and indigenous issues and culture in Guatemala.

"The most difficult part of my job initially was trying to get people to take my role as teacher-librarian seriously; there are very few males in this role. When I told a colleague that I had accepted the teacher-librarian position, he laughed and quipped: “You just ruined every fantasy I ever had about a librarian.”

Books on board - Learning in progress! That's the mantra of one Prince William County school bus driver who turned the bus into a "library on wheels." Ric Clark was voted the "Education Support Professional of the Year by the Virginia Education Association for his efforts in creating a learning and interactive experience for kids.

McQueen looked at his recreational vehicle and decided to make into a roving bill board in support of Ballot Questions 3A and 3B in Jefferson County, which would raise property taxes to generate money for Jeffco Schools.

If both measures pass, property taxes for a $300,000 home would go up by about $44 for the year.